Kota Kinabalu: Warisan Supreme Council member Chen Ket Chuin questioned why TNB’s generous four-month relief package for domestic users was confined to peninsula even though TNB is effectively the majority owner of Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SE).
“TNB protects its consumers in the peninsula, yet Sabahans who pay into the same corporate structure get nothing,” Chen said, adding “One company, one system — but two classes of customers.”He pointed to the newly announced TNB protection running Sept 1 through Dec 31 where all households consuming up to 800kWh monthly are shielded from the Automatic Fuel Adjustment surcharge, the 8% SST component, and the RM10 retail service fee.
That translates to an estimated 13pc bill reduction of up to RM47 in savings each month — for more than eight million families.
The relief was explicitly linked to hot weather, haze and higher consumption.
“Sabahans are not asking for special treatment — only equal treatment...
“We saw our own electricity tariff go up last February. We still endure frequent blackouts, spotty supply, and ageing infrastructure and yet our bills keep climbing while peninsula households get a break.”Chen argued the logic cannot be one-way: “When tariffs rise and costs are justified, we are told TNB and SESB are linked. When relief is announced, suddenly we are told we are different. That is not good enough.”He added: “Electricity is not a luxury — it is how children study, families keep food safe, and small businesses stay open. If Peninsular Malaysia deserves protection up to 800 kWh, Sabah deserves the exact same standard of care.”Chen also called for binding accountability: “If we are to pay higher rates, SE and the Energy Commission of Sabah must deliver measurable results — fewer outages, faster repairs, and full transparency. Do not ask Sabahans to pay more for less.”